Broken By Him, Now He's On His Knees

Chapter 5: Cold than ice

Luciana's POV

The air in the room felt thick and heavy, each inhale was a struggle. I could feel the tremor in my limbs as I stared at the doctor. He stood frozen, his hands shaking so violently. His face was a mask of sickly gray, eyes fixed on the marble floor as if a single glance up at Romano would shatter him completely. My heart hammered against my ribs, drumming fiercely, my breath was ashallow, hollow thing as I silently prayed he would keep my secret.

"Is something going on?" Romano's voice was a low growl, each word a slow, deliberate step toward the doctor. The moment he felt Romano's presence loom over him, the doctor's head shot up. His Adam's apple bobbed wildly as he fought to compose himself.

"No, it... it's... nothing... sir," he stammered, his words coming out on a shaky exhale.

"Is that true?" Romano pressed, taking a final, suffocating step that put him in arm's reach of the trembling man. My hands clenched into the bedsheets, my knuckles a stark white against the fabric as my heart pounded like a jackhammer in my chest.

"I'm certain, Don." The doctor's gaze darted to me for a split second, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes before he turned back. "She's fine, nothing is wrong with her."

Romano threw a glance in my direction. "So the fainting was a lie." His words were a statement, not a question.

"I think so," the doctor replied, giving a quick, firm nod.

"Come and take her." Romano turned toward the exit, and two men burst into the room, their movements hurried and efficient.

Without another word, Romano walked out. Every inch of my skin prickled with a fire of fury, a simmering rage I couldn't contain. If only I had known he was the type of person who used people as stepping stones to get what he wanted, utterly without a damn to give about their feelings, I would have never gotten involved with him. My chest ached, a sharp, tightening pain like a thousand knives twisting beneath my ribs. My eyes were glued to the doorway where he had vanished, a venomous wish to rip him apart before he escaped.

The men released me from the bed, the coarse rope biting into my wrists as they tied my hands together and began to drag me toward the door. I looked back, meeting the doctor's eyes. In their depths, a flash of pity flickered, a look that spoke a thousand words. I wanted to reward him for keeping my secret, but as a hostage, I had no power.

The men hauled me outside, and the full view of the place hit me. We were in a massive mansion, its grounds vast. A grand fountain stood in the center of the compound, and a line of cars sat idling in front of the entrance, ready to go. The compound was alive with activity.

This was his place. The thought of every word he'd ever spoken to me came crashing down, a tidal wave of lies that caused my heart to sink. The sweet words, the kind gestures, the man I had fallen for —he didn't exist. I had believed he was an ordinary man, but now I knew he was a Don, a man who craved revenge and didn't care who got hurt. As if on cue, a group of men in black suits rushed out of the house, piling into the parked cars. The entire scene felt like a military mobilization, a grim preparation for battle.

I was shoved into the back seat of a car, the door slamming shut with a heavy thud. I struggled, my bound hands fumbling for the handle, wanting to claw my way out. A cold voice beside me made me freeze.

"I don't give a damn if you hurt yourself trying to open the door, but you are hurting my eardrums. So cooperate, or you're going into the boot next."

The pure coldness in his voice shattered something deep inside me. My lips parted in disbelief, but no words would come. My heart sank, a leaden weight in my chest, as I sat on the seat beside him, my insides burning with a furious rage I fought to keep contained. The kind man I had met in Paris was gone, replaced by a monster who acted as if he had never once told me he loved me. My eyes stung with tears, but I forced them back. I wouldn't break down. I wouldn't let him see how much he had hurt me. I wouldn't give him that victory.

"Do you..." My voice broke, a ragged, fragile thing. I swallowed hard, trying again. "Do you even see me as a woman, rather than a bait?" The words were barely a whisper, but they were audible. Our eyes locked, a chasm of silence between us that spoke louder than any words. The coldness in his eyes was a physical thing, freezing me in place.

Then, a harsh, humorless laugh erupted from his lips, the corner of his eyes crinkling with cruel mirth. He stopped just as suddenly, his face a mask of cold, stern seriousness.

"No, not even for once. You are nothing but a pawn in my game. And once your job is done, I will toss you aside, because you are nothing to me. You are worth nothing!"

I swallowed hard, the punch of his words hitting me squarely in the gut. A single tear escaped, a hot track of pain down my cheek, amplifying the raw agony in my chest. My hands clenched into tight fists, my nails digging into my palms, ready to draw blood. Silence descended between us, a heavy, suffocating blanket that remained until the car came to a stop.

We arrived at an unfinished building. I was yanked out of the car by the same men and pushed inside, the meeting place a barren space of concrete and rebar. Romano and the others followed close behind. My eyes scanned the room, landing on my father and his right-hand man.

"Luciana," he called, his voice laced with a sadness I'd never heard from him before. He was always an emotionally guarded man; I’d even wondered if he was human. He hadn't shed a tear when my mother died, but now, a flicker of sadness was visible on his face, even from a distance.

As we moved closer, I saw how his eyes never left my face.

"Now, can we start the business at hand?" Romano asked, producing a single paper and a pen, extending them to my father. "Sign it, and I will let your daughter go. It's a document that passes all your properties to me. Or else…" I felt a cold press against the back of my head—a gun. "She dies," Romano concluded ruthlessly.

The air blew out of my lungs, my limbs went weak, and my heart froze.